(WWJ) – There’s no doubt, rush hour traffic in Metro Detroit can be a pain in the neck. But Michigan lawmakers are considering options to change that.
The State House recently passed a bill that would allow Michigan to put high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, also known as carpool lanes, on the state’s freeways.
With I-75 being the first on MDOT’s list, WWJ’s Brian Fisher explores on a new Daily J podcast just how effective HOV lanes can be and how they work as an incentive to reduce the total number of cars on the road.
While MDOT officials say carpool lanes can be an effective “congestion management tool,” and ease traffic during rush hour, Megan Owens of Transportation Riders United says they could also encourage more people to use public transportation.
“There’s no doubt that some people will be annoyed and there may be points in time where traffic is moving a little quicker in those HOV lanes than in the regular traffic and hopefully that gets people to pause and think, ‘hmm, I wonder if I could be carpooling with someone. I wonder if I could take transit,” Owens said.
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